Location: Laurentian Main campus, room C-204
1.5 ConEd Learning Hours
1.5 AIA LU
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
The Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) has recently adopted qualifications-based selection (QBS) as its preferred method for selecting consulting architects and engineers. Except in some cases, TCHC will no longer ask architects responding to RFPs to state their fee as part of their proposals; instead, proponents will be scored solely on the merit of their experience and ability to provide excellent service.
Fifty years of experience in the United States as well as numerous independent studies have shown that QBS results in better value for clients, fairer fees for consultants, and better buildings for end users. Learn how key metrics for equity, inclusion, and supporting the next generation of practices can benefit from QBS and why this is important for clients, the profession, and the public interest.
Learning Objectives
- Learn what Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) is, how it works, and why it saves money and time.
- Gain an understanding of why TCHC and other public agencies have adopted (or are considering adopting) QBS as their preferred selection process.
- Learn how TCHC expects QBS will lead to better project outcomes, better quality, and better equity for all project stakeholders.
- Hear from practising architects and advocates about the benefits of QBS in advancing inclusive design that can result in positive social transformation.
Robert Boyd, B.A. (Hon.), M.Arch, OAA, is an architect and the senior construction manager, development, for Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC). His role there sees him leading TCHC’s design and construction interests in the revitalization of Regent Park in downtown Toronto, including procuring all design consultants. Prior to joining TCHC in 2019, Robert worked for 23 years at a number of architecture firms, including IBI Group, Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc., and Kohn Shnier Architects. Most recently, Robert was responsible for spearheading TCHC’s corporate-wide adoption of a Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) process for engaging all of the company’s consulting architects and engineers.
Toon Dreessen, OAA, FRAIC, AIA, LEED AP, is a graduate of Carleton University and recipient of the Alpha Rho Chi medal. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and was inducted into the RAIC College of Fellows in 2016 and received the OAA’s Order of da Vinci in 2020. Toon leads Architects DCA, which has roots dating back more than 40 years and is ISO 9001:2015 certified; he is responsible for award-winning projects in infill development, laboratory, research, and industrial sectors. He leads the company’s activism in the role of architecture in social justice, gender equity, fiscal responsibility, and the role of architects in a strategic, visionary, and thoughtful planning.
Toon served six years on OAA Council, including two as president, and continues to serve on Association committees. He is a recognized public speaker and published author in local and national media including CBC Radio, the Globe and Mail, and Ottawa Citizen.
Adam Feldmann, B.Arch, B.E.S, OAA, AAA, is a Partner at architects-Alliance (a–A) and a seasoned architect and project manager with 25 years of experience in the design and management of mixed-use developments, academic buildings, mid- and high-rise residential projects, and waterfront public spaces in cities across Canada and the United States. A founding member of the a–A studio, he uses intelligent and sustainable design to improve the quality of individual buildings and the urban fabric, and to meet the needs of users and the greater community. Adam was Design Team Leader for the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Athletes’ Village, a $514-million, 14.3-hectare project completed for Infrastructure Ontario, Waterfront Toronto, and the City of Toronto. Within a collaborative management structure, he worked closely with the tripartite client group, the developer/financier, builder, and three other architectural practices to complete the project on budget and two months ahead of schedule. Adam has led the subsequent development of parcels on the site, which has evolved into the Canary District neighbourhood. The Village was recognized with the 2012 Canadian Architect Magazine Award of Excellence, 2013 Canadian Urban Institute Brownie Award for Brownfields Redevelopment, and 2017 Urban Land Institute Global Award of Excellence (as a key component in the West Don Lands masterplan). Adam is currently leading the University of Toronto’s Harbord Residence through concurrent approvals and value engineering processes, working closely with architectural collaborator Michael Maltzan Architect and with the University, City planners, and local stakeholders to square the University’s strategic requirements, local sensitivities regarding the integration of new architecture into a well-established urban campus, the needs of the graduate student body, and the exigencies of a volatile construction economy. He is a key member of the architectural team for The Well, a 3.2-hectare mixed-use residential, office and retail development on the former Globe and Mail site at Spadina and Front Streets. When complete, The Well will encompass 1,700 residential units, 111,484 sm commercial space and 29,729 sm of retail and restaurant tenancies, interwoven with an enriched public realm of green space, courtyards and pathways. Adam is a graduate of the University of Waterloo, and serves as a Guest Critic at Waterloo and at the University of Toronto Faculty of Landscape Architecture and Design.